I hope you grow to love… and hate the characters I'm starting to introduce. This is obviously, AU. To better your fun, I will add the links to a few images I've done thus far – I will add them as a review. Enjoy.

I will incorporate a few prelim concept drawings in these chapters to better your feel for the action.

Enjoy. I've been looking forward to these chapters for some time. Its going to be a fun ride when everything starts to fit into place. I've laid the building blocks in the first few chapters… did you find them:)

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Chap 7

Obi-Wan eyed the pilot as he dozed in front of the navigational console, his booted feet balanced precariously between two important looking instrument panels. The Alastor, the ship, was warmer than most star cruisers. Earlier, Rynik had said that his home planet was by large a desert world, so he preferred to keep his beloved ship warm and comfortable. That was fine with the boy.

To be frank, he was feeling… rather numb, regardless of the temperature. He, now days away from the temple, seemed… just numb. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. He wanted to get up from his huddled ball in the copilot chair, but he couldn't.

His sea green eyes watched as stars streaked by at incredible speeds. This ship was taking him away from the only home he had ever known. Rynik seemed confident in their destination… but Obi-Wan didn't even know this man. How could he trust? Then again, how could he trust anyone again? His own master, betrayed –

Rynik groggily opened an eyelid and tilted his head, hearing a scuffing noise. A moment later as reality set in, he realized, it wasn't a scuffing noise. It was a person.

Slowly and deliberately, the stocky man turned, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Obi-Wan turned away, his muffled crying buried in the mound of robes. Rynik swallowed, scratching his neck, glancing to the floor with indecision.

"You ok, kid?"

The boy made no reply, but silenced his crying. Gritting his teeth, the elder man stood, many things popping unhealthily as he straightened himself. He made his way to the boy unsteadily, and knelt down on one knee below him.

Scrubbing his face, Rynik paused, and then reached and placed a large warm hand on what he hoped was a shoulder of conjoining bone under the mass of cloth.

"I… I'm really not very good at this," He began, and cleared his throat, "And I know we really don't know each other or anything. But… eh, if something's bothering you-"

The boy slowly revealed his head, like a turtle, from his cocoon and stared at the hand that was placed on his shoulder. His gaze traveled to warm brown eyes, and the elder main raised an eyebrow.

"I miss my master."

Rynik nodded, and stood, sitting on a conduit near the boy.

"What happened?"

Obi-Wan shook his head slowly. "I- he, its-" A bark of laughter, though it was colored with anything but humor. "I feel like I wasn't good enough for him. I was… taking his time away from people whom apparently deserve him more than I." A pause – "I think its better this way. If I'm not meant to be his padawan, I'm not meant to be anyone's."

The pilot looked at Obi-Wan in surprise.

"What?" the boy asked.

Rynik shook his head in disbelief. "Its just – I've heard someone say just those words, a few years back."

Obi-Wan leaned forward. "You know other jedi?" he asked suspiciously.

"Me personally? Yeah, well, I guess, its hard to describe."

The boy was silent, crossing his arms over his folded legs, full attention on Rynik. The man sighed.

"It's the Scion, is all. He knows everybody and he knows what you might call a Jedi, I don't really know how it works."

"Scion?"

Rynik leaned back, his hands expressive before him. "Where we're going, the Askeni system, is pretty unique, I'd say. Its essentially a bunch of planets, all different kinds, that have an alliance, kinda like your Republic. There hasn't been war in generations. Each planet has, for generations, sent its best and brightest to the world of Ghan, kind of the center of everything," he explained, "And on Ghan is something like a senate, a council. At the head of the console sits the Scion, the guy who is a descendant of the guy who first headed the alliance. He's called the Scion of the Vanguard."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"Right. So. Right now, the Scion's name is Bareli Khas. Real good guy. He's got this… way with people, real compassionate but a complete nasty fellow if you get on his bad side. He's a strong leader."

"Wait, so the Scion is a dictator?"

"No, not so much. There are checks and balances within the console, and the Scion is not the only representative of Ghan. But he's, lets say a figurehead."

The boy nodded again, pinching the bridge of his nose wearily. "So, you're taking me to see this man."

"Yea… I'm sure he can help you find your way."

"Even though he knows nothing about me?"

Rynik stood, and reached up, looking in an overhead compartment. "Well, I'll tell you this. I never heard of anything or anyone called a "jedi" in my system before I met Bareli. They just don't… exist I guess. Well, yes they do? He says that another brand of Jedi came from one of our worlds, one that was destroyed. Say they were… not a good people. But the Jedi person I know? Not a bad person. And all I know about you, I learned during my studies of your galaxy, and that's from a tourist guide book I got from a frelling old time Mandelorian looking for food money. Aha!" He pulled a worn blue blanket out of the bin, and, pausing to smell it first, seemed to deem it fit for the boy. He handed it to Obi-Wan, who hesitated, then accepted with a small smile.

"Get some sleep, kid. Its only a few hours till' we reach our destination."

Rynik moved to the pilots chair while Obi-Wan frowned.

"How can we be there already? We haven't been gone that long."

"Aaah," he rumbled, sounding deeply satisfied. "That's the Alastor for ya. My people's crafts? Way more advanced that your guy's pieces of space junk. My baby and those like her can move over seven times as fast as your fastest puppies!" He grinned over his shoulder, but it softened into a smile when he saw the small boy wrapped snugly in the blanket with his eyes closed. Rynik turned away, and watched the universe pass.

Obi-Wan was roused by voices. Blinking blearily, he lifted his head.

"Commandent Draum, you are cleared for Port Cullis Gate Senek one."

"Copy that, command. See you shortly."

"Confirmed. Standing by."

Obi-Wan stood, wobbly at first as he walked up to the front of the ship.

"Woah, buddy –" Rynik said, immediately lifting his hand off the console. "Do me a favor? Sit back down."

"Why?"

The pilot snorted. "Because you outworlder hasn't obviously been in a Cullis Gate before."

"A what?" the padawan asked, hastily sitting back down.

Rynik continued inputting data into the console with apparent ease. Well, honestly, we are several homeruns away from my system still. The fastest way to access we Askeni's," he said, bringing up a hologram of a language Obi-Wan didn't understand, "Is to cut through space itself."

"I don't understand."

"A worm hole, my boy."

Obi-Wan blinked.

"Way way way back when, the Askeni's tamed worm holes – built Cullis Gates around them. They keep the worm hole closed until needed while they are all controlled on Ghan -–another big reason we keep a lot of smart people there. Now-" Rynik grinned, "Lets show you what the Alastor is all about."

Obi-Wan swallowed, gripping his chair as he felt the inertia of the Alastor suddenly loosing speed. There before him was a huge… disk. It looked almost ancient – built of stone, not of any man made thing. Around the disk were a series of what seemed to be locks. The ship slowed, and finally halted, facing the massive structure.

"What are we waiting for?" Obi-Wan asked, momentarily forgetting about the temple, the masters, Kinah and Bruck – his eyes open wide with wonder.

"I don't control the gate. Its like traffic control outside a busy world – we wait for Ghan command to open it."

As if on cue, the locks on the outer rim of the disk started to grind, the sound of stone moving reaching the ship. Massive in its size now, the disk itself began to expand, pieces of the inner circle coming to the ring's edge to create an opening. Inside the opening, was darkness. Obi-Wan swallowed, looking to Rynik nervously. He gave a warm smile, and suddenly, his face was bathed in light – light that poured out of the newly formed ring. Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt like he was flying.

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Qui-Gon sat wearily on the living room couch of his friend Tahl, his hand absently stroking the resting woman's forehead. He leaned his head back, lets his jaw drop open. Below him, Tahl was stretched out on the couch, her head laid heavily in his lap, her breaths deep and even with sleep.

How foolish, they were. How foolish they all were. He wanted to sleep, but it would not come. Hadn't come since his Padawan had left the temple – probably wouldn't come until he was found. Alive, or dead. The master shuddered.

He glanced down, thankful that his friend had finally found rest. Tonight was to be a difficult night. Earlier, a grand moot had been held. He, along with Tahl and most everyone in the temple, had been individually questioned about the recent happenings. It was unbelievably difficult for Qui-Gon to sit there and watch as so many padawans spoke about horrors the brother and sister had committed, not only against his padawan but anyone whom crossed their path. It was just… so wrong. So wrong.

And he had blindly helped these two children achieve their goals. Force help him. Force help him.

Now that he thought back, he could see it clear as day. His padawan curled up, alone his bed, the rain lit window casting light over his pained face. How could he have not seen?

He knew, that since Tahl's near death, he'd gotten closer to her. And naturally, to her padawan. If only he'd opened his eyes. All he wanted, even more than to have Tahl with him –

Was to see the gentle warm eyes of his padawan. His son. Not like Xanatos. Like... Obi-Wan.

A tear escaped its prison and made its way slowly before being trapped in an old master's beard. A soft knock broke into Qui-Gons thoughts. He looked to the door and it opened to reveal Windu. The dark master looked dead tired and worn. Qui-Gon asked with his eyes –

"Expulsion. They leave in two days."

Then, Windu turned and left.

If only it had been earlier. If only he had believed his padawan.

Tahl moaned softly in her sleep, and Qui-Gon lay a shaking hand on her forehead, soothing her. He closed his eyes.

Nothing but the sight of his Padawan would sooth him.

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Palpatine was furious.

He hissed like a vengeful cobra, his hands turning white as he gripped the edge of his ebony table.

"Our apologies, sir, we searched everywhere –"

Calming himself, the senator put a smile on his face, smoothly walking around the desk.

"It is of no concern. A pity, we could not return the young Jedi to his masters at the temple. I will … look to others to find him. You may go, lieutenant."

The Republic office nodded stiffly, and practically fled from the room. Upon the hiss of the door shutting, the senator's demeanor rapidly became one of anger. Casting one last glance at the door, he ordered it locked and dimmed the lights in the small office of the newly elected Senator. He sat in his chair, his throne, and activated a small device from the arm.

"Master."

Palpatine sneered. "Young Maul. You have made use of my Holocrons."

Maul bowed, his newly branded tattoos glowing eerily through the transmission.

"I have progressed much in your absence, my master."

"Indeed. It is time for you to test your new skills then," the sith growled, "I want the boy. I want him alive. And I want him now."

Maul didn't move a muscle, yet his hesitation was evident.

"My lord, the boy is with the system elders. To successfully infiltrate Ghan, of all places-"

"Is your task. In order to flourish here in this system again, we must procure our future /now/." The senator leaned forward, baring his teeth. "Use the old ways and our old allies if you must. But bring him to me."

Maul stiffened, and bowed low. "As you wish… master."

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